How Menopause Stopped My Menstrual Migraines

I remember quite clearly the first migraine I ever experienced. I was driving back to work after my lunch hour. Suddenly, my vision blurred and my head felt like a vise was tightening against it. I felt nauseated and out of control. I went back to work, which at that time consisted of heavy telephone work.

Imagine, if you will, a very loud, and irritated customer screaming in your ear during a migraine. Now, imagine hell. There is not much difference.

I got through work that day- probably because there was little choice, but the next day I saw my family doctor who prescribed a combination prescription that included acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine. This is the same combination that is found today in Excedrin Extra Strength Headache. I went home, kept the room dark, and slept. This was the way I dealt with menstrual migraines in those days.

I endured menstrual migraines for over 15 years until I began to enter perimenopause and began to have high blood pressure issues. I was prescribed Toprol XL and never had a migraine again due to hormonal fluctuation. I had other triggers, such as chocolate consumption that can bring them on- but I know this and eat it at my own risk and with the full knowledge that I will probably awaken with a headache in the morning.

These menstrual migraines were different than other headaches because they usually were clustered on one side of my head, made me sick to my stomach, and made me sensitive to light and sound.
I wasn't very lucky in those years. I was raising two kids on my own, and had no way to leave my job- or get any real relief. The medicines like Imitrex was not on the market yet and the only real relief came once my period began and I had slept off the headache. I remember many days at work, working the phones, with a cold compress on my head.

I did, however, learn how to work with these sudden migraine attacks in the following three ways.

1) Set up a good sleep routine before and after my period and stuck to it.

2) Stayed away from foods, like chocolate, that seemed to help trigger the attacks.

3) Exercised.

All in all, a rigid routine and the Toprol seemed to be the best ways I found to work with those menstrual migraines- and lucky for me menopause came early!